Thereupon, Nichole strolled around the Area just to waste away time. As usual, she observed the lustful look from the men around. At that instance, she hated herself for having eyes for only Arthur since her husband died.
Later on, she returned to their boot and spent some time chatting with them, which gave her the privilege of studying the caliber of staff working with her son.
“Have a nice evening,” she said to them.
“We wish you the same, Mrs. Bailey,” they responded happily and retired to their rooms.
While she walked to the suite with Louis.
“You have a wonderful team, Louis,” she declared.
“Wow! You are very observant, Mom. I am blessed with a great team,” he acknowledged happily.
She walked on with Louis, who was aware that the evening would be a moment of intense discussions in his suite.
Then, Arthur, who was through with his meal and had settled down to watch the television, greeted them, “Welcome back, Son. How was your day?”
“Thank you, Father. My day was fine. I hope you enjoyed your meal?”
“Yes. I did. Thank you.”
Now, Arthur gave him a worrisome smile before looking at Nichole, whose eyes contacted his at once and she knew that it was time for business.
“Father, Mom. I would like to take a shower. Kindly excuse me,” Louis excused himself and walked towards the bedroom.
“It is all right, Son,” his father responded.
Likewise, Nichole sat down on one of the chairs on the dining table while Arthur, who was on the couch watching the television, rested his head on the couch and crossed his right leg over his left.
Occasionally, Nichole, who would not deny that she was still in love with him, would steal a glance at him to know how he was faring while operating her phone.
‘Who knows, he could be under pressure,’ she thought and wished she could give him some comfort.
After a while, Louis got back to the parlor and sat beside his father. He braced himself for the imminent and was ready for any question.
Now, Arthur looked at his son, who was seated beside him, and began, “Louis,” he called out.
“Yes, Father,” he answered with a shaky voice.
Now, his tone and breathing had changed. His quivering voice made Nichole look at him again, and Arthur continued, “I know something is bothering you; otherwise, you won’t throw the whole family into a panic. Can we talk about it now?”
Notwithstanding, Nichole noticed that Arthur’s voice was not stable either, so, she waited for Louis to say something. To their whammy, instead of explaining, he began to cry and poured out all his bottled-up emotions at once. Hearing him cry put Nichole on her toes.
“Oh! Louis, my last born,” she exclaimed.
She got up from the chair, walked to the couch, and sat on its armrest.
Nevertheless, Louis was sobbing hysterically. She drew him closer to her bosom and consoled, “It is all right, Son. We can talk about it some other time.”
Likewise, Arthur drew closer to Louis and gave him a kerchief to dry his tears.
Thereafter, he declared, “We are returning to Dover tomorrow. Prepare your team to continue with the Exhibition to the end. Is that okay?”
Without responding, he began to sob again. The thought of going to Dover reminded him of the sight of Olivia and Denise a few days ago. Unexpectedly, Nichole, who became infected with Louis’ cry, began to sob too.
“What happened to you, Louis? Louis, please stop crying. You had always been a strong man.”
Now, Arthur was in a dilemma. Before him were two people who were important in his life. He could openly console Louis, but what about Nichole? Despite that, he attempted all the same.
“Nichole, please, be strong. He needs us now.”
Louis, who did not wish to make his mother cry, rested his head on her bosom while Arthur placed his right hand on the two which automatically rested on Nichole. She was not interested in fighting back, so, she ignored his hand. Then, Louis slept off on her bosom. She got out of the chair gently and made him lie on the chair. Afterward, he rested his head on the armrest. Then, Arthur lifted his two legs from the floor and rested them on the chair as well. Nevertheless, he walked to the bedroom and got a pillow. Nichole collected it from him. She lifted Louis’ head gradually and tucked in the pillow under his head.
‘I must have been a dunce to ignore the love of a woman with a genuine love for me,’ Arthur reprimanded himself, as he watched her take care of Louis.
At that moment, she took charge of the family.
“Arthur,” she called out.
He was surprised to hear his name from the weak voice of the woman he loved.
“Yes, Nichole,” he responded, wishing that she would just say, ‘I love you’.
“As you can see, we are all spending the night together in this suite. I hope you’re not planning to book a room for yourself because we can’t leave him alone.”
He gave her a dotting look and agreed, “It is OK.”
Then, he glanced at Louis protectively before he walked to the bedroom with his briefcase. Then, Nichole ordered dinner, and when it was served, she woke Louis up and ensured that he had his dinner before he walked to his room and slept off.
In the morning, he woke up to see his parents dotting on him, and he was pleased.
“Louis.”
“Yes. Mom.”
“Can you call your sisters? They had been worried.”
“It is all right, Mom,” he agreed and picked up his phone.
The first person he called was Freya, his favorite Big sister. His parents looked on as they chatted.
“Louis, good to hear from you. Why the suspense, Louis?” she inquired.
“I’m sorry, Big sister. We are coming over to Dover.”
“Really?” She inquired anxiously.
“Yes. Mom and father are here.”
“Oh! That’s good. Can I speak with them?”
He gave the phone to his parents, and they took turns to speak with her.
Afterward, he called Julie too, who was eagerly expecting his call since she returned to her base.
“You cannot speak with Denise. He is still on honeymoon and not reachable.” Arthur informed him and hurt him the more.
He teared up on hearing honeymoon but composed himself. After instructing Eric on what to do for the remaining days of the Exhibition, he obediently left for Dover with his parents.